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8.24.2015

Lakehouse Kitchen Remodel Update

Many of you have asked me how our lakehouse is coming along and so I thought I would pop in and show you. I apologize for the different sizes of pictures that couldn't be avoided this time. The remodel isn't going nearly as fast as I would like it to but it has come a long way. Come along with me and see.

The next few pictures are the before version, don't be too hard on the previous owners when you see the before pictures. The paint colors were in the process of being changed and their young adult sons had been using the cabin previous to several years of not being used at all when these photos were taken. This first picture is looking at a small wall and cabinet next to the bar that looks out into the dining room and living room.

This photo shows the back wall of the kitchen and the only other cabinets other than what was in the previous picture along with the bar cabinets. You can also see the tiny little island that stood in the kitchen.

This is another view of the same. Some of our family thought we had lost our minds when we showed them the cabin when it was in this state because what you can not see very well in the pictures is that in the 5 year absence of the owners, a group of mice moved in and there was not a surface untouched by mice or spiders.

This is a view looking into the kitchen past the bar from the dining area. Hopefully you can look past the stuff and see the cabin. The parts that we could see such as the awesome tile floor and the Sturdy walls covered with pressed wood everywhere rather than drywall (that means I can put a nail anywhere!) It has a cement foundation. It has tons and tons of blown in insulation. I loved the front door and especially love it after a new coat of paint.

Then there were those amazing windows that were floor to ceiling and were placed across the entire front of the cabin looking out onto the cement patio overlooking the lake. These are the things we saw rather than the other things that catch the attention of most. Those other things can all be fixed.

The previous owners came and removed all the furniture and I then spent a couple of days cleaning. I then began to texture, paint and trim. We decided to remove the bar completely and we were able to add an entire bank of cabinets and counterspace along the West wall of the cabin that gave us a nice galley kitchen with lots more room to work and store our things. It made a huge difference. I know islands and bars are so very popular but sometimes we need to see what works in the space instead of what is popular. It can make all the difference in function.

Here are our new cabinets. I decided to use white paint on the walls and to paint the cabinets a beautiful color of aqua (It is called Jamaica Bay by Behr). The floors cleaned up nicely so no changes needed there. We have not done the backsplash yet as you can see but I have made a decision about what we are going to do. I am planning on texture and paint for the backsplash in this area above.

In this photo you can see that we have changed the light fixture and we have removed the shelf that the previous microwave sat on. We also changed the cabinet that was above the refrigerator from a corner cabinet to a traditional above refrigerator cabinet. I just ordered a stainless stove vent hood which will be added very soon. Hopefully soon there will be a new stainless Electric stove in the empty spot. We decided to go with all electric for safety reasons (no pilot lights to worry about when we are not home.) There will be a beautiful glass tile backsplash added to this area above.

We added an extra cabinet above and we changed the counter to match the new ones. We also painted the door a darker color of Aqua to match the front door. I know you must be wondering why I have my garden cart in this room. I never use it for pulling weeds because I prefer to bend over and pull weeds. This little cart is perfect for painting the lower parts on things. I can roll along the walls or cabinets and paint which saves my knees a lot of stress.

We decided to go with Stainless Steel for our appliances (the fridge isn't dented it just appears so because of the light in this pic) We are still on the hunt for a stainless steel stove which has been a challenge because we need it to be 24 inches wide. Hopefully soon, I will have this room finished and can show you a beautiful finished kitchen.

Stay tuned for more updates on our lakehouse remodel and for projects I am doing for our lakehouse. There are many more dramatic changes happening.